"Sir? You asked to see me?" Abby strove to hit just the right tone between nervousness and confidence. It's not often an intern was called to see the CEO after hours, and stroking his ego while still sounding professional seemed the right tack to take. Admittedly, the nervousness was the easy part.
Sebastian Mendoza turned away from the window of his corner office with a smile. He owed his height to his father, but his muscular frame to hard work, first doing manual labor as a teen, then a short stint in the military in his late teens and early twenties. In his mid-thirties, he maintained it through almost religious attendance at the gym.
"Abby! Please, come in. Oh! And close the door; lock it, too, if you wouldn't mind. The cleaning crew sometimes forgets to knock."
Abby found the request odd but acceded; her internship had technically ended at 5 PM that day, but there was no reason to irritate a man that could make or break her future. Her very recently former boss gestured for her to sit as he did the same.
His deep, smooth voice washed over her. "So, tell me: how did you enjoy your internship with us?"
"It's been a fantastic opportunity, Mr. Mendoza--"
"Seb."
"... Seb. I've learned so much, and I can't thank you enough for placing me with such a great staff."
He smiled broadly. "That's excellent. And, let me tell you: I've heard great things about you. Your work ethic, willingness to sacrifice, business acumen, and soft skills are all quite laudable." Seb opened a desk drawer and withdrew a manila folder. "I've personally written a glowing letter of recommendation, and I've made sure that HR knows to praise you to the high heavens when fielding requests for information."
"Thank you, sir!" Abby blushed at the effusive praise. She had heard that Sebastian was a fair but exacting man and hard to please. He didn't give kudos without good cause. "That's very generous. I don't know what to say. If there's anything I can do--"
Seb frowned and tapped his desk. "Actually, there is something I could use your help with."
"Sir?"
"May I ask why you didn't apply for a job here at Mendoza Consulting? I know that you've got several offers lined up at our competitors, and I'm frankly disappointed that we didn't get a chance to keep your talent in-house."
Abby's blush deepened. She hadn't expected to be put in this position; the intern rarely ended up in the spotlight, no matter how much she deserved it, instead being seen as a strong, capable team player. She attributed much of that to her appearance: short and a little heavy, conservative dress, and thick glasses. The young woman had hoped this would be one of the times she was overlooked, at least by Sebastian.
"Well, sir, I wanted to broaden my skillset. This has been such a wonderful experience, but I--"
He raised his hand. "Please stop lying to me, Ms. Weston." Abby opened her mouth, but a glare from Mendoza stifled her objection. "You and I both know that my company is the leader in this sector. Everyone I've spoken to, from your coworkers to your manager to your fellow interns said that working here was a dream of yours. So why not apply for a permanent position?"
Abby bit her lip. "I..." The answer didn't come, because the answer was unacceptable. Abby knew that. Worse, Sebastian knew it, too. She tugged at one of her red curls, a tell she'd had since she was a child, but one she'd managed to suppress at work until that moment.
Mendoza sat back in his chair. "Do you know the secret to my success, Abby? Behind the spreadsheets and databases and all of the other nonsense that we have to provide to clients so that they'll take our suggestions?"
"N- no, sir."
A pause. "I think you do. But I'll indulge you for just a little while longer. My secret is this: I understand the four pillars that drive the vast majority of people. If you know what someone wants, what they need, what they fear, and what they hate, you understand them. You understand what they'll do and why they'll do it in the vast majority of circumstances."
The young woman sitting across from the CEO shifted uncomfortably as he continued. "I do my best to make sure I understand all of my people on this level, too. It's important to be able to motivate one's employees to be their best.
"Let's take you, for example." He slid the manila folder across the desk to her. "You want the recommendations and accolades. They're the reason you studied hard, why you're at the top of your class, and what drove you to beat out thousands of other candidates for this internship.
"That's the easy one, though. What about need, hate, and fear? Those took me longer, and I wasn't absolutely sure until just now. You've done an admirable job hiding them from me, haven't you, Ms. Weston?"
"Sir, I- I don't--"
Ignoring her, he continued. "Fear was the easiest of the three. You're afraid that you'll be less than you could be. Terrified to not be a strong, independent woman. To continue to be overlooked. Or worse, to be seen for the wrong reasons. You're a beautiful woman, but you do everything you can to hide it from your coworkers--especially your superiors--for fear that you'd be accused of sleeping your way to the top."
Abby's eyes burned with anger. "Mr. Mendoza, this is highly inappropriate." She began to stand. "I am going to leave now, and if I hear another word--"
"Sit!" The single growled word stayed her motion. "Sit. Now." Two more forced her back into her chair as surely as if his large, callused hands had pushed down on her shoulders.
Sebastian smiled magnanimously. "Fear, you see? I made a statement, that you're beautiful. Another, that you hide it to avoid accusations of trading sexual favors for advancement. And your response was to bolt from your chair and threaten me. I never said you did such a thing, nor that anyone accused you of it."
She scowled at him, and he sighed. "Abby, I'm trying to do you a favor. Understanding what motivates you helps me, but it also helps you. I'm not saying that you need to change your behavior; your wish to get ahead on your merits is admirable. But your fear makes you vulnerable to manipulation.
"Let's talk about hate and need, then. I find it incredible how often they're not just related, but the same. That's definitely true for you. But in your case, all four of your motivators tangle together, pushing and pulling against one another until you end up moving in the wrong direction."
